Echo

Key Information:

Parent Star: 60125

Region: Deep Shadows

Planet Class: Four

Orbital Period: 0.63 Solars

Rotational Period: 17h 13m

Mean Temp: 277 K (4 ºC)

Native Life: Sparse

Status: Uninhabited

Overview

CC-60125-E, better known as "Echo", is a planet not far into the Deep Shadows, one of the largely unexplored regions between the bright spiral arms of the galaxy. It is the fifth planetary body from its star, hence the catalogue suffix "E" from which its nickname is derived.

Although sensor data and probe readings indicate widespread geological differences, the areas which have been explored to date show little in the way of physical variation. In 3745, Elm Caden visited a region of the planet which was a dusty plateau of powdery, crumbling earth and rocky gravel, rendered in dull browns, ochre, and greys. He was struck in particular by "the flat endlessness of it all" (→SFTD).

Echo is a terrestrial or "rocky" planet, one of seven orbiting its star. It has relatively high density, and surface gravity similar to that of Earth. The surface of the planet is a thick rock crust which has not seen significant tectonic activity for some time, capped at the poles with massive volumes of frozen water. The rest of the continental surface is — for the most part — dry rock and gravel, the legacy of tectonic forces and ice ages long gone. Most of the natural processes which would create new landscapes, such as continental drift, glacial motion, and the combination of abundant life and driving millennia, are currently absent on this planet.

A weak magnetic field deflects a small amount of harmful stellar radiation away from Echo, and around half of the planet's surface is covered by liquid water which gathers in shallow oceans. As such there has been some scope for life to develop on the surface, but so far no complex forms have been sighted.

​The extant ecosystem of Echo is simple but robust. It comprises a range of micro-organisms which are adapted to endure the harsh radiation from the local star, and the stark landscape of the planet. The most successful organisms on the planet have apparently been the vast marine algal blooms. These enrich the thin nitrogen atmosphere with oxygen.

There is no native sentient population on Echo, and no permanent colony of any description

Recorded Events

Although the planet has never been colonised, it was investigated by a geological survey team some time prior to 3745. In the late 3730s a remote probe sent to index the planets of catalogue star 60125 located traces of exotic minerals on the surface of Echo. It was therefore flagged with the name prefix "CC", or "Colonisation Candidate". Before long Echo was visited by the ill-fated team which included Amarist Naeb, Medran Morlum, and the maintenance android Prem (→SFTD).

The survey of Echo was based in a non-permanent research outpost comprising dozens of pre-fabricated plasteel modules, all surrounded by a wedge-shaped barrier designed to deflect dust storms. This is the only habitat structure known to have ever existed on the planet, and it currently stands empty (→SFTD).